Method of making a water-soluble polymer composition
AssigneePeter Morris Research and Development Limited
InventorPeter MORRIS
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Abstract
A method of creating a processable water soluble polymer, the method comprising the steps of: extruding a water soluble polymer composition from an extruder barrel without use of a die, wherein the extruder barrel is not vented other than via its extruder outlet, to produce an irregularly shaped polymer extrudate; directing the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate onto a chilled conveyor to cool the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate to below 60° C.; and granulating the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate to form a granulate.
Claims20
A method of creating a processable water soluble polymer, the method comprising the steps of:
- extruding a water soluble polymer composition from an extruder barrel without use of a die, wherein the extruder barrel is not vented other than via its extruder outlet, to produce an irregularly shaped polymer extrudate;
- directing the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate onto a chilled conveyor to cool the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate to below 60° C.;
- and
- granulating the irregularly shaped polymer extrudate to form a granulate.
A melt-processable water soluble polymer composition comprising:
- a blend of a water soluble polymer with a hygroscopic salt to act as a lubricant to render the polymer extrudable and/or mouldable,
- a solvent polymer plasticizer;
- and
- a wax, wherein the wax content of the composition is at least 0.3% by weight of the total weight of the composition;
- wherein the water content of the composition is of less than 10% by weight of the total weight of the composition;
- and
- the hygroscopic salt is included in the composition in an amount of at least 15% by weight of the total weight of the composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.